Ward, Smith & Hill Lawyers Earn Two of the Top 100 Verdicts in 2016

LONGVIEW, Texas, April 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Two verdict wins by the East Texas law firm of Ward, Smith & Hill, PLLC, are recognized among the nation's Top 100 Verdicts for 2016, according to VerdictSearch and The National Law Journal. The verdicts occurred within two weeks of each other and both involved patent infringement claims against tech giant Apple Inc.

A jury award of $302 million to VirnetX Holding Corp. against Apple Inc. on Sept. 30, 2016, was the fourth largest intellectual property verdict and ninth largest verdict overall in the U.S. in 2016. After a one-week trial before Judge Robert W. Schroeder III in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Tyler, firm founder Johnny Ward helped to convince a jury that Apple infringed on four of VirnetX's internet security patents. The jury award was based on what Apple owes VirnetX in royalties.

Just two weeks earlier, name partner Wesley Hill successfully obtained a $22 million verdict for Cellular Communications Equipment LLC., which ranked as the 10th largest intellectual property verdict. The jury found that Apple willfully infringed a wireless communications patent owned by Cellular and used in iPhones and iPads.

"We work hard to ensure our clients' intellectual property is protected," said Mr. Ward. "In both of these cases, we collaborated with other legal teams to ensure our clients' success. It's an honor to be recognized for our work."

Editors with The National Law Journal and Verdict Search research court records, consult with practitioners and additional ALM Media LLC publications to identify the nation's largest verdicts. The Top 100 Verdicts list is being published in the May 2017 edition of The National Law Journal.